


αναγέννηση  -  anagénnisi  (rebirth)

by spitshineboi



Category: Amazons - Fandom, Antiope/Menalippe - Fandom, Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Healing, brief descriptions of a graphic wound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 20:05:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14776391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spitshineboi/pseuds/spitshineboi





	αναγέννηση  -  anagénnisi  (rebirth)

She screamed "NO!" as she ran to her lover lying, motionless, in the sand. Falling to her knees by her side, she clutched and grabbed her head and held it close. She saw nor felt any sign of life. Grabbing a sword from the sand, a rictus of unbelievable anger, hurt, and insanity on her face, she leapt forward to kill the man responsible, but was stopped by her niece who was yelling at her and her sister-in-law that this man had fought by her side. Menalippe dropped the sword before demanding to know why this man wore the enemy's colors. She didn't get an answer; just Hippolyta ordering that guards take him away. Diana followed the man and the guards from the beach. 

She returned to Antiope and knelt over and lifted her head once again, hugging her close, sobbing. Then she felt it. A pulse, weak but there. A pulse. Antiope was alive! She screamed for a healer. Hippolyta was the first by her side. "Antiope?" she asked.

"I felt a pulse. She has a pulse," Menalippe cried hopefully, searching Antiope's neck for another beat of her heart. She felt it again. A weak Lub-dub. Menalippe is still crying, tears running down her face, as she screamed "Epione!" yet again. Hippolyta held Antiope's hands in her own. She prayed to every god she could think of, from mighty Zeus himself to the Oceanids of the seas begging for her sister's heart to keep beating. Lub-dub, Lub-dub.

Epione raced to Antiope's side, felt for and found the pulse. "She's alive!" she yelled, "Stretcher bearers! Quickly, get her to the caverns!" But Menalippe was far faster than any stretcher bearer. She collected Antiope in her arms and ran to the beach entrance and raced up to the caverns herself, Hippolyta fast on her tail and Epione following closely behind. The other healers on the beach tended to the rest of the dead and the wounded. 

Sometime later, was it ten minutes, fifteen? Menalippe placed Antiope on a cot in one of the rooms in the healing caverns and Epione, with Hippolyta's help, went to work, stripping Antiope of her armor, wrist bracers, greaves, pants legs, underclothes, and boots. All were tossed on the floor without a second thought. Menalippe held her wife, cradling her head and pleading with her to keep breathing. The wound was horrible; just to the right of her sternum with bone shards and tissue everywhere. The blood loss was extensive and continued in a steady flow. Water was quickly brought and Epione started cleaning the horrendous hole in Antiope's chest. She used small metal tweezers to pull and remove the splinters of bone from the hole and packed it with clean linen gauze. Turning Antiope over, she did the same with the small exit wound on her back before turning her back over. The hemorrhaging slowed and, after more packing with gauze, seemed to come nearly to a halt. 

Antiope's eyes rolled back in her head. She started to seize and cough. Blood spurted from her mouth and Menalippe kept calling her name. "Antiope, stay with me my love; Asclepius help her! I beg of you." Epione quickly stuffed a knife into her mouth, instructing Hippolyta to hold her tongue down so she wouldn't choke. The jerking slowly came to a halt. Lub-dub. Antiope's heart was still beating. Weakly yes, but still beating. Lub-dub.

Epione spent more time looking over Antiope. Her breathing, though shallow, was uninterrupted. "The lungs aren't hurt", she mumbled. "Good." She wiped her hands on a towel and went to her storage room for a tincture. She returned a few minutes later with a foul-smelling brew and, with Menalippe's help, forced Antiope to drink it. "Now it's the waiting game," she said. With the help of two of her assistants she started to clean Antiope, finally finishing after pulling warm furs up to cover her. "We'll look at stitching up the wounds in the next day or two," she stated. "I expect that you'll both want to stay here for the night," she said looking at the two women. "Go and bathe, then return. Get very clean, any dirt here could be fatal. I'll sit here until you both return."

Hippolyta dragged an unwilling Menalippe to the baths. They both returned, clean, within ten minutes. Epione had cleaned herself while they were gone and had two chairs brought into the healing room for the two women. Once there, she excused herself and, leaving Penelope there with the two, left to tend to the other wounded. Hippolyta sat down next to her sister. Menalippe got into Antiope's bed and held her gently despite the look Penelope was giving her. She stared at Penelope until she looked away. She was not moving no matter what Penelope thought or said. 

As night began to fall Menalippe spoke quietly to Hippolyta. "Diana will go with this man," she said. "She is stubborn that way." 

"I know," Hippolyta replied softly. 

"This is Ares' war. It feels very large to me."

"It does," Hippolyta said. "It must be drastic to have come to our shores."

"She is the God-killer. Ares must be stopped."

Hippolyta hung her head. "Yes, she is." She sighed deeply. "I tried to keep this from her but Antiope insisted she learn to fight."

"She is prepared Hippolyta. She is prepared well."

Hippolyta closed her eyes. "She is, though I wish it were not so."

"Now what? The die is cast."

"We let Diana decide."

"Do we tell her about Antiope?"

"No," Hippolyta replied quickly. "As we do not know whether my sister will live or die." Menalippe started to cry again. "I pray she does not sister, but this is the truth. We keep her life away from the decision. We say nothing. If Diana thinks she has died maybe she won't go."

"Truly?" Menalippe quipped through her tears.

"Truly," Hippolyta answered. "We must go to the trial. We must use the perfect of Hestia on him."

Menalippe looked at her wife then Hippolyta incredulously. "Leave her here? But Antiope will be alone. I do not WANT to leave her. You cannot ask that of me Hippolyta. You cannot." By the end of these words tears were once again running down her face.

Epione walked back into the room relieving Penelope. "I will stay with her" she said. "If anything happens I will send for you, immediately. Do your duties."

"No!" Menalippe said again. "I want to stay here."

Hippolyta sighed. "I know sister, I know," she said. "But we must do this."

Menalippe looked at Hippolyta stricken. "Please, no," she whispered.

Hippolyta just stared back at Menalippe. "Do I need to order you my sister."

Menalippe closed her eyes a moment then kissed Antiope's forehead. She looked up at Hippolyta, obviously angry, but slowly got out of her wife's bed and the two left for the throne room. Menalippe stopped outside the room just long enough to get her diadem and the perfect of Hestia from a guard waiting there before walking in to the large chamber. The room was full of senators, soldiers, craftswomen, Diana, and, now, Hippolyta. Menalippe went and stood in front of her sister-in-law and saluted, stiffly. Diana, standing in front of her mother and below her on the stairs, looked haunted. She'd obviously been crying. She looked at Menalippe as if her world had been shattered. Menalippe wished she could tell Diana that, at the moment, her aunt is still alive, barely, but still alive. But she follows Hippolyta's wishes and says nothing. Menalippe's eyes well up with tears but she, somehow, keeps them from falling. She has no idea where the strength comes from.

The man, fettered, is brought into the throne room by two guards and forced to kneel in front of Hippolyta and Diana. Hippolyta looks at him dispassionately. "Girdle him with the perfect," she says to Menalippe who complies. Without turning she tells Diana to begin the examination. And so, it begins.

~~W~~

In the end, Hippolyta's ploy doesn't work. Diana breaks into the armory, taking the sword, the so-called "God-killer", a shield, a cape, Hippolyta's old armor, and the perfect of Hestia and then breaks Steve Trevor out from the bathing pools in the healing caverns. Hippolyta, followed by the queen's guards and Menalippe, come upon them at the dock. Hippolyta has words with her daughter and then presents her with Antiope's diadem, or the top piece of it at least. After a lengthy hug Hippolyta watches her sun, stars, and moon leave. She bows her head, tears obviously on her face. Menalippe rides up to her and asks if she told Diana. Hippolyta misinterprets the question and answers something about not telling Diana she is a demi-god. Menalippe doesn't push it. She honestly forgot that. She meant had Hippolyta told Diana about Antiope. It really doesn't matter though. Menalippe leaves Hippolyta on the beach with the queen's guards and raced back to be with her wife. When Hippolyta does arrive back at the infirmary she finds her sister-in-law, with her arms wrapped tightly but gently around Antiope, sleeping.

~~W~~

The next few weeks are Hell, Tartarus to be exact, and Menalippe is in the lowest pit of it.

On the first night Menalippe is woken from a sound yet troubled sleep by an absence. The absence of Antiope's breathing. She darts up from her nightmare filled slumber to find her wife turning blue and choking. No breath is passing between her lips. She yells Epione's name as she shakes and tries to help her wife breathe. Nothing. Menalippe won't give up, shaking her love harder and with more urgency as she begs her to start breathing again. Hippolyta is woken almost immediately too. She had been sleeping in a chair next to Antiope's bed and scrambles to help in any way possible but she has as little luck as her sister-in-law. A minute passes before Epione races into the room yelling "Out of my way! Out of my way!" She pushes both Menalippe and Hippolyta away from Antiope and straddles Antiope's form. She throws the warm skins from her body and pounds Antiope's chest screaming "Breathe! Breathe!"

Suddenly Antiope coughs, blood spilling from her mouth, and slowly, ever so slowly, takes a breath on her own. Then another, and once again another. They are weak, ever so weak, and ragged, so ragged, but they are there. Antiope is breathing once again. Very shallowly but air is moving in and out of her body. Her color slowly returns to normal. The three women look at each other with relief in their eyes. "I was afraid this might happen," Epione mumbles. "Her lungs are filling with blood and this will happen more often now," she said. "We must be sure she is breathing at all times." She looks between the two women again. "One of you must be awake in here while constantly guarding her against this. I'll teach you how to recognize the signs and get me if she stops breathing again. It's all I can do." Again, she looks at Menalippe and Hippolyta, "I suggest you find at least one other person to help you." She then covers Antiope carefully in fur yet again and leaves the two women standing in the room.

Menalippe puts her hands over her eyes and starts to weep uncontrollably. She's a soldier, she's a Seer, not a healer. How can she do this? How can she keep her love alive? Hippolyta puts her arms around her sister-in-law. She'll be there to support her; she'll be there to steady her; she'll be there with her strength to help Menalippe get through this. She doesn't know how she will do it but she will. Antiope must find Menalippe cognizant when she finally awakes. She must. Hippolyta will buoy Menalippe's spirit up and keep the anguish and sorrow at bay. She must.

Time passes. Twice more, during that first week, Antiope stops breathing. Twice more she is brought back by Epione's ministrations. Her breathing remains ragged and hard. She is, obviously, fighting, struggling for every breath. She fights on.

By the second week Menalippe's strength is obviously failing her. She only sleeps when she passes out. She looks horrible. She doesn't eat, loses weight, her skin becomes sallow, and she cries so much. Her eyes are bloodshot and haunted. Her exhaustion is so very evident. Hippolyta doesn't make her do any of her military duties so she stays by her wife's bedside, or in her bed, holding her, stroking her arms, kissing her forehead, every day, every night. Loving her as much as she can. Epione orders fresh, clean water for her daily to wash with and clean clothes are brought, but Hippolyta watches her sister and sister-in-law fade till neither looks alive. 

Hippolyta, on her part, also deals with her own horror and grief. It's Phillipus. Phillipus is a saint, putting up with all Hippolyta gives her. Hippolyta leaves her sister's bedside at night, going home to her Consort, but that doesn't help her much. Her anger is palpable. She screams at Phillipus for no apparent reason. She's comforted by Phillipus whenever she needs it. And she cries herself to sleep every night in Phillipus' strong and comforting arms. Every morning she feels guilty about it when she sees Menalippe. There is no one to comfort her. She tries, by all the gods she tries, but there is nothing that she can do.

But there is so much more that Hippolyta must do. She must run council meetings and Senate meetings. She must grieve publically with her people. She must hold them up and walk every step of their grief with them as she is trying to hold up her sister. She goes to every funeral. She visits the injured. Yet her daughter is gone and her sister is dying.

Menalippe and Hippolyta both spend hours at the temples praying to Gods that might no longer be alive. They sacrifice, they do oblations, they beg, they plead. Neither of them is ever answered. Maybe the gods ARE all dead? 

Antiope's breathing begins to ease just a little bit. The gods must be alive for this to happen, mustn't they?

It's very late, the middle of the night really, at the beginning of the third week when it happens. Menalippe, who had been dozing, wakes to find Antiope staring at her. She is awake. Menalippe cries out and holds Antiope very close to her as she cries with joy.  
"You're awake," she whispers over and over again.

And Antiope answers. "I am," she whispers back. 

Hippolyta is sent for and both she and her Consort arrive quickly thereafter. They all laugh, they cry, they are with each other as the joy of life returned is celebrated. But, after a short while, Antiope falls asleep in the arms of her beloved. 

The next week is hard. Antiope, though awake, has very little strength and sleeps more often than not. She can barely lift her head from the pillow. But she is healing so anger at this is all but forgotten. She is brought and fed broth, simple soups, given fresh water to drink. Her strength grows. After a few days like this she is desperate for Menalippe's love and they spend long hours kissing and whispering to each other. Antiope tries for more, cries for more, begs for more, but to no avail. Menalippe will have none of it. Antiope even tries pouting, but her wife laughs at her. "We'll have time," she is told.

She continues to improve.

Soon enough Antiope is sitting up and eating simple meals on her own. She begins to walk, short distances at first, with the help of her wife. Again, her strength improves and the length of her walks increases. Menalippe takes her for daily baths, something Antiope relishes. Something they relish together.

Finally, weeks after she is wounded, Epione agrees that Antiope is ready to go home. 

The walk back to the palace is slow. Antiope is greeted fondly by everyone she sees. But once there all she wants is to go to bed. Her and Menalippe curl up in each other's arms and sleep. They sleep the sleep of the innocents. When they awake they make slow passionate love by the light of the brazier in their room. It is amazing. Both cry. Never again will they let this happen. They vow to always make time for this, no matter what. 

The next week Antiope has many visitors. Soldiers, senators, tradeswomen, vintners, shepherds, fishermen, farmers, and more visit with her. They tell her about their training, creating, farming, and herding. They tell her about meetings and discussions. They tell her about life. Once the flowers start to bloom again she is brought flowers, sprigs of greenery for her and Menalippe's apartments in the palace. The island's players perform plays for her. She is reading again and trying to do other things. Hippolyta continues her daily visits. Antiope's near death hurt many. All are healing.

Antiope pushes herself. She lifts weights, she walks, she runs, she rides. Her strength is returning but she is still weak as a mortal wife and woman. This makes her mad. So, she pushes harder. Menalippe returns to her training which irks Antiope to no end. But, she survives. Menalippe takes over as strategos while Antiope heals. This makes Antiope madder, not at her wife, never that, but herself. She works harder still.

Finally, she has the strength to return to her work as strategos. She certainly couldn't beat any of her Amazon sisters at anything, except maybe knucklebones, but she can help them with comments, forms, ideas, and her strength of spirit. However, she does tire easily, and, due to Menalippe's insistence, she rests often. The warriors relish having her back though. They don't care that she can't swing a sword like she used to, shoot her bow with any great accuracy, use a shield, or a lance yet. They help Antiope practice and build her strength. They vie for her attention. They try new things. They become stronger, just as she is, to show off for her. 

Life continues. 

It's a slow recovery, but Antiope does recover, to an extent. She'll never be as strong as she was but she has some strength. It is enough. She learns to let others help her. She learns that she doesn't have to do everything herself. This is good. She learns finesse. This is better. Her and Menalippe are happy. This, this is enough.

And so, life on Themiscyra continues, Those that died are mourned but life still exists and it flourishes. All is mostly as it had been. But then Diana returns… and everything changes yet again. But that is another story.


End file.
